THE NEW OLD AND OLD NEW

I went into a cleaning drive yesterday to give my room a face-lift.

Didn't dig out anything worthy for a garage sale because they are either too "my precious" to be sold off or are in too yellowing a condition to pay anyone to take. But beneath the thick 3 inch layer of dust, I found a few interesting things (don't you just love refinding things?). Something like this poem I had written for my Creative Writing 113 unit. Some of you may have taken or are taking this class.
It can't be more true that if you have a passion for something,

Don't study it.

But yes, given that you do learn new skills and take a new perspective on the subject, you also stress majorly. I was clasping and clawing at the empty air for inspiration. Once I even found myself at King's Park watching the birds (which are not my favourite animals) and eventually churning out a fairytale-like poem which was apparently to be commentary on Oscar Wilde's " The Happy Prince"

It has a swallow in it, you see.

So anyway, in another attempt for at inspiration, I 'borrowed' ideas from another unit i was doing at the same time. Reading the poem below, no prizes for guessing what unit it was.

The Australian Tale

What are we
in the Australian tale,
a colourful people in the still sea of white
or a bushman with ruddy cheeks,
a Man's man, vanquishing female right?
Are the sounds we make
sounds of the didgeridoo and clapstick,
or the clear Irish lilt in crystal Christian tones,
or all in confusing harmony?
The pie we eat and 'footie' we play,
can we fit them all in,
in the Australian tale?
I see the kangaroos and koalas crowding
They want the attention too.
Our barren land and bush
speak of familiarity;
Are they backdrop or an object,
In this ambiguous Australian tale?

As the plot evolves and
Characters emerge into being
It is nice to read that
What it is to you
and what it is to me
may be in synch, or then again not really,
What matters is our consciousness and sense
In this grand Australian Tale. (June 2002)

Memories of stressful times.